Dust can cause health problems and decrease visibility. We urge voters in the Newberry Estates Special Road District in southern Deschutes County to support the district’s dust-abatement levy.

A yes vote would impose a five-year levy of 40 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value specifically for dust abatement. That’s $40 a year on a $100,000 home. It would raise an estimated total of $45,000 over five years.

Deschutes County has more than a dozen tiny taxing districts to maintain roads. The county government doesn’t have any control over road maintenance in these special road districts.

County Administrator Tom Anderson told us in an email the county would get involved in things like utility placement, right-of-way encroachment, weight limits, gates or hazard abatement. How actual road maintenance is done is up to the special road district.

The district’s existing tax levy is 78.31 cents per $1,000 of the assessed value of property. Frank Mengel, the president of the road district, said the money the district raises from its existing levy goes to snow removal, grading, gravel application and so on. It has done some dust abatement when it can afford it. To do it regularly, it needs more money.

The district’s board will decide which roads will get the treatment. Mengel said the district probably would not use water, but maybe magnesium chloride.

In 2010, the Newberry road district put a dust-abatement levy on the ballot that was double the rate of the current proposal. It was narrowly defeated 100 to 83, in unofficial returns. Mengel hopes that by cutting the proposal in half the district will get the money to do a better job of cutting the dust. We hope so, too.